Commission for Equality in Mental Health: Call for Evidence, January 2019

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Commission for Equality in Mental Health: Call for Evidence, January 2019

In 2018, Centre for Mental Health set up a new Commission to investigate inequalities in mental health and produce recommendations to bring about system change for equality. The Commission for Equality in Mental Health is chaired by Liz Sayce and during 2019 it will be taking evidence about the full range of inequalities in mental health and what can be done at every level to reduce them.

We are now seeking evidence from people and organisations to share their knowledge, experience and understanding of mental health inequalities. We would like to hear about inequalities of all kinds in mental health: what causes them, what can prevent or mitigate them, and what would help to support action to reduce mental health inequality.

Key areas of interest

We would like evidence about any of the three areas listed below:

1. Addressing the social, economic and political determinants of mental health

We want evidence about the impact of inequalities in society on a person’s mental health and on the wellbeing of communities. We would like to hear about evidence of initiatives (at any level) that have sought to address these inequalities and with what impact.

2. Ensuring equal access to support for mental health

We want evidence about inequalities in access to mental health support (of any kind – at community/informal level, or more formal services), why they happen, and ways in which these have been addressed. We would be interested in examples of initiatives to reduce inequalities in access to support for people of any age, from prevention and early intervention to crisis care and longer term support.

3. Improving quality and outcomes from mental health support

We want evidence about inequalities in the quality of support (again of any kind) people receive, in people’s experiences of mental health services and in the outcomes they get. We would like to hear about examples of types of support and services that demonstrably achieve better outcomes for groups of people who experience inequalities.

How to send us evidence

We welcome evidence in a range of formats. Written submissions should be no more than 3,000 words in total, and can be accompanied by supporting documents, web links or videos. We are keen to hear first person accounts about mental health inequalities as well as evidence from practice, research and other types of knowledge and experience.

For all of the topics, we are especially keen to receive evidence about possible solutions to addressing mental health inequality. We are interested in the experiences of people who have sought to make a difference in reducing mental health inequalities. We are interested in solutions that have come from communities and user-led groups and organisations. We also want to know about initiatives that have come from local systems: for example from local authorities, charities or NHS organisations. And we are keen to hear about initiatives in other areas of work that might provide valuable learning for addressing inequalities in mental health.

Our call for evidence opens on 7 January 2019 until 30 June. Please send evidence to emma.bailey@centreformentalhealth.org.uk. Please ensure you give us your name, organisation (if relevant) and contact details, indicating if you would like us to treat your evidence anonymously.

If you would like to find out more about the Commission’s work and aims, click here.